Oakland man charged with sending mail bomb

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — An Oakland man has been charged in federal court with sending a mail bomb to an East Palo Alto address in October.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that, if convicted, 56-year-old Ross Gordon Laverty would face up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

Laverty, who appeared in court and was arraigned Thursday, could not be reached for comment.

Another mail bomb sent on Nov. 28 to the Alameda home of a police officer injured a woman when she opened it. It’s not clear if the two incidents are connected.

That incident was being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which also investigated the East Palo Alto mail bomb with assistance from the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.